Song of the Week 09: I'll Fly Away

Albert E. Brumley came up with the idea for this song while picking cotton on his father's farm in Rock Island, OK southwest of Ft. Smith, AR. It was written in 1929, first published in 1932, and gained popularity in the 1940’s. The best known early recording was released by The Chuck Wagon Gang in 1948. In 2000 the song, sung by Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch, was featured in the best selling “O Brother Where Art Thou” movie soundtrack.

"I'll Fly Away" is believed to be the most recorded gospel song of all time. It appears in many hymnals and is often performed at funerals and bluegrass festivals. Brumley has been described as the "pre-eminent gospel songwriter" of the 20th century with over 600 songs published. His other popular songs include "Jesus, Hold My Hand", "Turn Your Radio On", "I'll Meet You in the Morning", “He Set Me Free”, and "This World Is Not My Home". He died in 1977.

When I first arrived in Branson, MO in 1989, The Brumley Show featuring several family members was going strong. The show was headed up by Albert’s son Tom, a noted steel guitarist who played with Buck Owens and Ricky Nelson. Tom Brumley died in 2009.

A Little Farther West’s instrumental version of “I’ll Fly Away” is the first cut of our gospel album, “God Must Be A Cowboy”. I felt the song’s strong melody line was a good match for our single-string western guitar leads. The rhythm groove comes from one I heard as a kid when my Uncle Bob was the drum major for the Sardinia, NY Drum & Bugle Corp. I spoke with him by phone several months ago … he’s 93. I can still picture his wonderful dance moves at small town parades.